Vehicle-wheel.



H. B. CATS.

VEHICLE WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 22. 1912.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

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'UNITED sTATEs PATENT FE1;

HENRY B. vCOA'IIIS, 0F VEEDERSBU'RG, INDIANA.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Specicatiron of Letters Patent. Patented Apll. lis, 1916 ApplicationVfiled kIl'ovember 22, 1912.a Serial N o. 732,959.

Be it known that I, HENRY B. CoATs a citizen of the United States, and aresident i clear, and exact description-thereof, refer-V wheel.

of Veedersburg, county of Fountain, and State of Indiana, have inventeda certain new and useful Vehicle-lVheel; and T do hereby declare thatthe following isa full,

ence being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters referto like parts.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction ofvehicle wheel in which resilient means or pneumatic cushions or tubesare located between the axle and the tire of the wheel so as to take upthe vibration of the wheel and protectthe axle therefrom.

The chief feature of the invention consists in providing a plurality ofannular pneumatic tubes or air cushions fixedly mounted in the casing ofthe wheel and adapted to support the axle which is arrangedto float inthe casing of the wheel and` yet is so mounted in connection with theair cushions within the casing of the wheel that lateral displacementfrom said thrust will be prevented.

' Furthermore, said invention consists in means for holding the aircushions in yplace and inflating themand renderingthem ac'- cessible. `1

With this type of wheel a solid rubber tire may be yused and thus all ofthe diiiiculties,

annoyances and expense of `pneumatic tires be avoided and yet'the wheelsbe as resilient and shock absorbing as the best types of pneumatic tiredwheels. The tread of the wheel may be made of any material or in anyform desired.

` Thenature of theinvention will beiunderstood from the accompanyingdrawings and the following description and claims.

Tn the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a. vehicle lwheel withportions thereof in section parallel with the pla-ne, of the Fig. `2 isa central vertical section throughthe wheel shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is asimilarsection through a modified form of wheel. i

There is shown herein to illustrate the general nature of thisinvention, an axle 10 with a'tapered end secured in a tapering hub-likemember 11 by a nut 12. Said hublike member has an inner radial flange`13 to which a brake drum 1-1 is secured. It also has a centrallylocated radial fiange or arm l5 to which a plate 16 is secured by bolts17. The plate 16 is formed in side elevation, as shown in Fig. 1, and isa web-like plate integrally connected with four annular clencher members18 which are in cross section the shape of the ordinary clencher tire,only reversed, the flanges projecting radially inward instead ofradially outward. There are four of these clencher members 18 arranged90 apart, although the invention is not limited to any particularnumber. Within said annular clencher members 18, annular pneumaticcushions 20 are secured. On their outer peripheral surfaces the pneu-.maticcushions 20 are formed with beads 21 and fit on an inward andlaterally extending tubular extension 25 from and integral with one sideof the main frame or casing 26 of the wheel. At the side adjacent itsconnection' with the casing of the wheel, said tubular extension isprovided with an annular 'inwardly extending flange 27 which overlapsone of the inner beads of the pneumatic cushion. Otherwise the tubularmember 25 is plain and on its other end a plate 28 is secured by screws29 and this plate has a flange 30 for enveloping the other inner bead ofthe pneumatic cushion. In this manner the cushion is fixedly mounted inconnection withthe main casing or frame of the wheel.

The casing 26 has a central opening 31 larger than the hub so that thehub and axle will be-enabled to float or move. There is an external tirerim 32 for a solid rubber tire 33 and there is a flange 34 at one sideof the tire rim for engaging the bead of the tire and holding it inplace. There is a flange 35 engaginglthe bead at the other side of thetire, which flange is `an extension from a plate 36 which is removablysecured to ears 37 on the tire rim 32 by bolts 38 and this plate 36 hasa central opening 39 so that the hub 11 will Hoat therein. This latteropening is closed by a removable cap 40. The side plate 36 of the wheelhas an opening 41 opposite each pneumatic cushion 20 to render thelatter accessible and said opening is closed by a circular plate 42which is secured by nuts 43 to ears in said opening 4l extending fromthe plate 36.

The pneumatic cushions are inflated by applying anair pump throi'ighatube-L4 extending from each pneumatic cushion 20 through a slot 45 inthe tubularextensienvv 23. The tube. 44 extends intotlie interior of theextension radiallya'rd 'th-fen is turned outwardly at a rightv.a'n.fglezf andproe ljects through a small `opening"'47' yin' the plate28. 1 K the's'mall plates 41,the air tube'isaccessible. There is also acasing 48 secured to the main frame 26 of the Wheel and surrounding thebrake drum 14 and spaced away from the axle l0 so as to permit relativemovement of the wheel and axle.

From the foregoing it is seen that this wheel is resilient, absorbingthe vibration or shock, whether coming from thevariation of loadv acting4upon the axle, or from varition in the roadway acting upon the wheel.

Theaxle and itsh`ub 11 and *theY plate 17 float in the Wheel accordingto the yielding or4 resilience of the pneumatic cushions and saidpneumatic cushions take up practically all of the vibration, exceptingthe vibration which may be taken up by the tire v33. In this connectionit is also apparent that all four of the pneumatic cushionssimultaneously and always cooperate in taking up the vibration Aorshock. The upper part of everycushion will b e to some extentcompressed, while 'the lowerpart of every cushion wil'lfbe'-correspondingly stretched, and

l.'theywingrosperae 'with each other. fand puncture and .fromA wear,

since the-.cushionsare stationary and con'- tai-ncompressed air, allparts of each cush- L1/ori' willreceive corresponding stress, the

strain 'beingv transmitted to all parts thereof by the airin thecushions. Hence, there is a very generaldistribution of vstrain and.Streszfnof .O Illy t0 each cushion, but to-all 'y I' parte 0f theCushions wheel will be durable.

Consequently the since the pneuprotectedv from there being .no Theconstruction explained is matic lcushions are wholly friction.

suchthatfthelateral expansion of theV cush-l" ions is permitted withouttouching anything so thatth'ere is no wear to the Asides of the littleopportunity for Cushions.l Both their-innerV and outer pe--ripherieslare securely held in placeby relatively f-xed means.Consequently thereis wear or injury to the cushions. Furthermore, ifcushion an should be injured, the operation ogthewheel the alltpj mobilecould run with the remaining cu'sh ions without scarcely noticing anychange.A v rele w would not materially be affected as And a cushionwhich has been blown out can readily bev replaced by removing the plates41 and 28 and removing the old cush- *Hated Therefore, by removing oneof f in Fig. 2,

Fig. 3. two corresponding plates 50 which have the clencher rims on themand are clamped on the enlarged portion of a bolt slotted atv53, asshown in Fig. 3.

' stantially as shown,

ion and sliding in another. During this replacement, the cushion iscollapsed and it readily comes out of the external holding member 13 andreadily slides oli of the tubular member 25. Another cushion is'fslipped.infplace while collapsed and after the plate 23 is replaced,the cushion is in- The slot 45 permits the cushion to be removed andreplaced, without 1nterfervence lwith the air tube 44. Itis thus seen''that the Wheel is vvery resilient andv at the same time extremelydurable, as there arey ol parts to Wear excepting the solid rubber tire.

or two particulars. In the first place instead of the extension 25 andplate 28 shown there is in the modified form in 51 by nuts' fwhichscrewthereon and bear against the side plates 26 and 41 in which Thisconstructionenablesthe internal means vThe modified form `shown in Fig.3-differs from that shown in Figs. l. and 2in .only one on which eachcushion is mounted, to be readily removable, if desired and yet. saidinternal means is rigidly held in place while in use.

Another variation' in the modified form shown `in Fig. 3, is the airtube 144. It ex' tends from the pneumatic cushion' toward the lhub andllies in the space `surrounding the hub Where it is accessible byremoving the cap 40 at the end of thehubgl-and to enable the cushion tobe removed with this tubein the same, the* part .16 is `While the hubis', referred tolier-'evitiJ and 'in theclai'ms aS. Heating in vtheframe of the.

wheel, 'still is f "apparentu from the descrip tion heretofore given,theannular'means for externally holding Athe pneumatic'cushions whichare ,connectedwith the hub, likewise lioat'in the wheel frame and,therefore, the

series of cushions supports the load coming 1 upon the axle of the hub.This arrange-y ment requires a vclearance betweenthe ex ternal clenchingmembers for the annular pneumatic cushions l so that said floatingopportunity to move members f; will have or varlations in roadunder'changes of load -wayglff-With this arrangement, theannular.

cushionsv are enabled to extend practically c. ons will be as close tothe tire rim as n be made without interfering with theitire l.rim duringthe vibrations ofthe a .driving power may be apvehicle, still theinwheels and others I heref, is Ishown herein eel to which pliedfj forpropelling the vent'ion applies to front and -the tire rim, sub.

ythe hub to Vthe ltire rim and thi's the which are not driven, and inthe latter wheels the axle is not rigidly secured to the hub.

'.l claim as my invention:

l. A vehicle wheel including a chambered frame with a central openingand with a plurality of openings in one side thereof located between thecenter and periphery of said frame, a hub adapted to float in saidcentral opening, a cylindrical inward extension from one side of theframe projecting toward each opening in the other side of the f ame, anlannular pneumatic cushion adapted to be slipped laterally over and bemounted -on each of said extensions, a clenching member secured to thehub for surrounding and holding the external periphery of each pneumaticcushion, and a removable plate for closing the opening in the frame atthe side of each pneumatic cushion. Y

A vehicle wheel including a chambered frame with a central openingtherein and a plurality of openings in one side thereofl between thecenter and circumference, a cylindrical extension from one side of saidf ame toward each opening in the other side lying between the center andcircumference, each extension having a clenching flange on the inner endthereof, an annular pneumatic cushion having beads onthe internal andexternal peripheries thereof and adapted to be slipped through theopening in the casing on and about each of said extensions, a removableplate secured to the outer end 'of each extension with a clenchingflange thereon for engaging one of the inner beads of each cushion, andan external clenching member secured to the hub and surrounding eachcushion and having fianges for clenching the external beadsthereof.

3. A vehicle wheel including a cha'mbered frame with a central openingwith one side thereof provided with a plurality of openings between thecenter and circumference, removable plates for covering said openings,

a hub adapted to ioat in the central opening of said frame,a cylindricalinward extension from the closed side of the frame projecting towardeach of the openings between the center and circumference, an annularpneumatic cushion adapted to be inserted through each of said openingson and about each of-said extensions, means secured to the outer ends.of said extensions for holding the cushions thereon, an annular membersecured to the hub and surrounding each cushion for holding the externalperiphery thereof, and a tube extending from each cushion into proximityof the opening in the frame thereof, whereby the cushions may beinflated 0r deflated.

l. A vehicle wheel including a chambered frame with a -central openingand with a plurality of openings in one side thereof between the centerand circumference, removable plates for covering said openings, a hubadapted to float in said central open* ing of the frame, a tubularextension from one side of said frame opposite each opening between thecenter and circumference with a clenching shoulder around the inner endthereof and with a longiudinal slot in one side thereof, an annularpneumatic cushion adapted to surround each of said extensions, a platesecured to the outer end of each extension for clenching the cushion andhaving a central opening therein, an air tube from the cushion extendingthrough the slot in the extension and a hole in said plate for inflatingand delating the cushion while in the wheel, and an annular membersurrounding each cushion and holding the external periphery thereof andsecured to the hub.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto aiiixed my signature in the presenceof the witnesses herein named.

HENRY B. COATS.

Vitnesse's:

J. H. "WELLS, O. M. MGLAUGHLIN--

